The Bargain
by Infernal Gamer
Summary: Set after ACOWAR, an unseen threat forces the magic depleted inner circle to flee Velaris along with their high lord and heavily pregnant high lady. With Feyre's newest bargain to Rhysand laying heavily on her mind when she goes into early labour.
1. Chapter 1

**And I'm back with another feysand fic! Trying to be a little more angsty, less light hearted this time which is new for me as I mainly saw my previous fic (the snowball) as just a light fluffy fic. Sorry if it's not as good as my regular style!**

"We need to keep moving." Cassian said grimly, shooting an apologetic look at his high lord who had just readjusted his extremely pregnant mate against a tree.

"Feyre needs more rest." Rhys insisted.

"Our inability to winnow means we can't move quickly Rhys, whatever beasts have been unleashed on us now can't be far behind." Mor spoke softly.

Behind Rhys, Feyre heaved herself to her feet, her long flowy dress in shambles as it protruded over her rounded stomach. When Rhys made to help her she waved him off. "I'm okay, I can keep going." She said, lightly kissing Rhys on the cheek when he looked about to protest.

"The smoke's getting thicker. I can go scout out how much of Velaris was damaged?" Azriel asked, seeking his high lord's permission to melt back into his shadows, back towards the pillars of smoke rising from their home.

Rhys nodded. "See if anyone still needs help and evacuate them with us if you can."

Azriel melted into the shadow of a nearby oak tree disappearing quickly. Flying had proven useless with their legion of Illyrians who had all been cut down quickly by some of the beast's magic and they hadn't dared try flying since.

Rhys turned back to his family, trying not to notice their various scrapes and bruises from the recent fight which nearly hadn't allowed them to escape the city. "If we can get to the mountains and find shelter, we may be able to replenish our magic enough to send for help from another court, Tarquin would be our best bet."

"What are we standing around for then? Let's go." Feyre said determinedly, setting off through the trees.

When Mor brushed past Rhys he grabbed her arm gently and whispered in her ear, "Watch Feyre. She's trying not to let it show but she's struggling. I can feel it through the bond."

Mor nodded and went after her friend, wrapping an arm around her back as if to seek comfort, but Rhys could see Feyre gladly shifting some of her weight to his cousin as she stepped over a large tree root.

Cassian limped behind Rhys, being supported by Nesta who insisted Cassian needed help despite his grumbling protests that he was fine. His foot dragged along the ground as his thigh muscles were too ripped and damaged from a large gash to allow him to lift it or put weight on it properly.

Rhys only remained grateful that at least Feyre's other sister, Elain, had been away with Lucien at the time of the attack. Feyre was already stressed out enough over the fate of the Velaris civilians who hadn't managed to evacuate in time, let alone the welfare of her closest friends and family.

Rhys had been so happy when Feyre had told him over a private dinner one night that she was pregnant, but now with all the danger they were in, Rhys couldn't imagine anything worse. While Feyre had already reminded him several times mentally that she wasn't due for at least a few more weeks, it didn't stop him from worrying.

By midday the sun had reached its peak, hovering relentlessly over them. Sweat dripped freely from foreheads, down necks and backs. Feyre's loud, and heavy breathing the loudest of them all. Mor had been joined by Amren in supporting Feyre the last hour when it became obvious that Feyre was weakening.

Rhys signaled for them all to stop. Feyre sank gratefully to the ground, not caring where she sat, beginning to massage her lower back.

"I don't hear any sound of pursuit." Cassian announced.

"Not yet, you mean." Amren muttered under her breath.

"We needed to stop anyway." Rhys countered. "We're still waiting to hear back from Azriel."

His friends looked at him knowingly as his eyes crept back to Feyre. Rhys made his way over to her and sat gently beside her, an arm gathering her to him. Feyre made a contented noise against his chest as he began rubbing small, soothing circles across her lower back.

Rhys knew that the extra weight of carrying their child hurt Feyre's back and made her swelling feet ache, so he did his best to rub and massage the pain away for her at night, even if she tried her best to not complain, telling Rhys it would all be worth it in the end.

"I could always carry you?" Rhys asked delicately.

Feyre only huffed. "You need to save your strength in case…" In case whatever had destroyed half their city finally managed to catch up to them Rhys didn't need to add.

"At least let me carry you for an hour?"

"Both me and the baby are fine, I promise. We can make it to the mountains in the next few hours if we leave soon." Said Feyre.

"What if Rhys just flew you there quickly, keeping low and out of sight?" Nesta asked.

"No." Both Rhys and Feyre said in unison.

"We don't know how this thing operates. It managed to take down in minutes every single trained Illyrian in the sky. An entire legion. I won't risk Feyre or the baby." Rhys said determinedly.

"So we keep walking?" Mor suggested.

Rhys gripped Feyre around the waist to help her to her feet this time, easily pulling her up without her having to strain herself. When Mor and Amren came forward to support her Rhys waved them off. "I've got her."

It was another hour before Azriel returned with a grim report that half of Velaris was still burning and that the monster was nowhere to be seen. Rhys swore under his breath, "Can you try and make it to Tarquin? Ask him to send help and someone to winnow us all out while our magic is depleted."

Azriel was already moulding himself back into the shadows at his feet, when Feyre let out a low moan from behind Rhys and a sharp pain came crackling down their bond.

Rhys whirled to see her bent over with her hands on her knees, bracing herself. "What is it?" He asked, his voice cracking with worry.

Feyre waited a few breaths before pushing herself back up, a forced smile on her face. "Nothing. It's fine." She said too quickly. "The baby just kicked a little too hard, in a place that shouldn't be kicked." She added when Rhys only continued to stare hard at her.

"Feyre you don't need to pretend everything's fine if you're in pain." Cassian interrupted. "We don't want to put you or the baby at risk."

Feyre of course knew this. Knew that if she made a complaint about her aching, feet, calves, back, neck, or practically every part of her body, her friends would stop to help her. She knew that all she had to do was mention to Rhys about the sharp stabbing pain rising in her abdomen and he would immediately let her rest.

But Feyre also knew the danger they were all currently in. Being chased by a dark and dangerous creature with little magic of their own or place to hide. Her friends would not allow her to put herself, or the baby at risk, but she also wasn't willing to risk the lives of her friends over a little discomfort of her own.

"I'll be better when we've found a safe place to rest for the night and we're out of danger." Feyre said soothingly, placing a hand on Cassian's arm reassuringly.

So the group continued onwards until dusk began to fall just as the landscape began changing, tilting upwards as more rocky terrain appeared, replacing the leafy foliage of the forest floor.

"I'll start looking for a cave for some shelter." Amren offered, seeing Rhys glance uneasily between Feyre and the nearby slopes that would offer safety.

It wasn't long before she returned with news that there was a cave just up ahead, but it was a steep climb.

Mor and Amren took an arm each from Feyre as they began their climb upwards. Rhys moved ahead, searching for the least treacherous route, calling out directions for both Feyre and Cassian who had begun to lean more and more heavily on Nesta as adrenaline from the fight left him and his senses returned to normal.

Amren called out that they were nearly halfway when a roar erupted behind them from the forest, making the trees tremble and the ground shake.

"It's picked up our scent." Mor whispered in horror.

"Quickly!" Rhys urged them. "If we can get to the cave we can pool our leftover magic enough to put up some spells to hide ourselves."

Their pace doubled as the angry growls of the monster sounded out behind them.

The climb had gotten particularly steep when Feyre began stumbling, feet slipping down rocks that normally wouldn't have caused her any problems. Rhys swung around after her third stumble and barreled down towards her where she hung limply between Amren and Mor.

"I'm carrying you the rest of the way. You'll slip and take out Cassian and Nesta behind you if you're not careful." He said sharply, fear making him sound colder than he had meant to.

Feyre sighed gratefully as he held his arms out to her. She reached up to take his hands, her foot lifting onto the boulder he stood on above her. With one foot up, she strained to bring the other up too, stretching upwards, when suddenly she doubled over, nearly falling if it hadn't been for Rhys's strong grip on her forearms.

"Feyre!" Rhys cried out, pulling her up to hold her in his arms.

When she finally managed to look up at him her eyes were wide with pain and fear. "I think the baby's coming." She whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

**New chapter! Trying to update much more quickly than my last fics. Hopefully no one in my family notices all my tabs open about child birth, the things I do for fics haha.**

Back in Velaris, Rhys and Feyre had handpicked Clara, an extremely skilled and valued midwife, and prepared a room in the House of Wind for when Feyre went into labour so they wouldn't be disturbed.

Everything had been planned expertly by the midwife and now Rhys wasn't even sure if the woman had survived the initial attack. And he was out in the wilderness with his mate who was going into early labour, without magic, while being chased by a deadly monster. To say he was panicking would be an understatement.

"You're absolutely sure?" Rhys asked with a croak.

Upon seeing Rhys's wide eyes and hearing the clear panic in his voice, Feyre took a deep breath and attempted to seem a little calmer than she at least felt. "Positive. Clara did go through a few things with me and what to expect." She said with a light smile.

A breath whooshed out of Rhys's broad chest as he stared at her incredulously. "Feyre darling, I know your timing is normally impeccable but for once in your life could you not be early for an event?" He pulled her closer and pressed a light kiss on the top of her head, stroking her hair gently. "What do you need?"

"Well first of all, some shelter." Feyre said with an uplifted brow, indicating the rocky hillside they were perched on.

"Of course! Hold on, I'm going to pick you up, okay?" Rhys asked softly, waiting for her to nod before reaching an arm behind the back of her knee.

He ever so gently lifted her, cradling her to his chest as he picked his way up the steep slope.

Mor and Amren exchanged uneasy glances behind their high lord and lady's backs. Nesta caught the look and turned to Cassian expectantly.

Cassian looked grim as he considered how much he could tell Nesta before she grew hysterical over her sister's predicament. "Nesta, how much do you know about fae pregnancies?" Cassian asked, his eyes fixed on Rhys's back, a concerned look on his face over the fear he knew his brother would be feeling.

"Not much, just that it's difficult for them-us, to even become pregnant." She said with a shrug.

"Oh it's not just becoming pregnant that's difficult." Cassian said in a quiet voice. "It's just as difficult carrying the child and giving birth. The whole process is… risky."

"How risky?" Nesta asked with slitted eyes.

"Risky enough that a midwife has to be present at every birth. In the Night Court it's free for females to have access to one, Rhys pays the midwives himself so even the poorest can afford one."

"So the baby has no chance at all?" Nesta asked, horrified.

"Of course they have a chance. Just if there's any… complications it won't be good. For the baby, or Feyre."

"A complication like going into early labour?" Nesta asked too quietly.

"Yes." Was all Cassian could manage. His own worry for his high lady suffocating him.

"I always said you caught on to things far too quickly." Amren called out to them.

Nesta managed to pull Cassian close enough to speak lowly to Amren so Feyre couldn't hear them. "Isn't there anything you can do?"

Amren nodded to Mor. "Ask her, she's the only one of us who's been present at a birth before."

Mor pressed her mouth into a firm line uneasily. "That was a long time ago, and I wasn't even allowed in the room, I just heard what was going on."

"Well you're all we've got for the moment, so you'll have to at least seem a bit more confident for Feyre's sake if not Rhys'." Amren said coolly.

Up ahead they could hear Rhys whispering to Feyre, encouragement and soothing sounds that reached them easily, but they quickly found other places to look when they heard him speak of how much he loved her, and how lucky he was to have her for a mate.

They plodded on slowly up the mountain, the heavy laboured breathing of Feyre the only sound, which was far better than the alternative of the sounds of the beast hunting them from behind. They had hopefully moved far enough away from the forest to not hear the creature anymore.

After a few more minutes Rhys finally stopped at the top of a small clearing declaring he'd reached the cave. The rest of their friends scrambled up after him, following him into the narrow cave entrance.

Rhys had to turn sideways to fit both himself and Feyre through the gap, but once inside, the space widened until they found themselves in a large cavernous area.

"This will do nicely." Rhys nodded to himself. "I mean the fully equipped room at the House of Wind would of course, be preferable." He grumbled.

"Rhys." Feyre admonished him. "Remember what we talked about when we were talking about me going into labour?"

Rhys smiled down at her, still nestled in his arms. "You're the only one allowed to complain. I remember." He said with a wink.

He then turned to Mor a desperate plea on his face. "Where should I…?"

Mor sighed, tying her long hair back with a piece of string she had looped around her wrist. "Find even ground along one of the walls somewhere. It will help Feyre if she can sit upright and lean her back against something."

Rhys nodded, glad to be given some instructions as he carried Feyre over to the side of the room. He put her back on her feet momentarily while he unbuttoned his jacket, which had somehow managed to remain mostly untouched by the forest, and placed it on the floor for her.

Mor turned to Amren. "Can you start placing some enchantments around the cave, anything to keep us hidden from that thing for at least a little while?"

"I can do it, but I'm not sure how long it'll last." She said, turning on her heel back to the cave entrance.

Next, Mor turned to Nesta. "We need water. And a fire to boil it."

"I can get started on a fire." Cassian said gruffly, pulling away from Nesta to hobble over to a nearby wood pile.

"How am I supposed to collect water?" Nesta only asked.

Sighing, Rhys flicked his hand and a pot landed with a thump in front of Nesta. Nesta stared at it wide eyed, "Exactly how much magic do you have left?" She eyed him questioningly.

"Not enough." Was all he said, turning back to Feyre to brush damp hair from her face as she tried to get comfortable on the ground.

Nesta eyed the cave mouth uncertainly. "I think I heard a stream nearby, I'll see what I can find."

With everyone having been given a job, Mor went over to Feyre, a tight smile on her face. "How are you feeling Feyre, any pain yet?"

Feyre only grimaced. "I just feel uncomfortable, like I've got cramps."

Mor nodded. "That's normal. We only need to start preparing when it gets painful."

"And when the contractions are shorter." Feyre added.

Mor smiled at her. "Exactly. Until then there's not much you can do but remain as relaxed as possible and keep up the breathing exercises Clara taught you."

Feyre managed a warm smile back while Mor got up to check on Cassian's fire. She felt Rhys grip her hand tightly. She turned her smile on him, expecting one back in return but he only stared at her worriedly.

Reaching up to cup his cheek and draw his face closer she whispered to him, "I'm okay. The baby's okay, I can feel them moving right now." She placed their interlocked hands on her swollen stomach so he could feel for himself. "Clara already walked me through the whole process just in case."

"I know, but I can't help it… I feel so helpless." Rhys looked at her sadly.

"You can't fight all my battles." Feyre said kissing him lightly on the lips.

At that Rhys laughed. "You've never needed me to fight your battles for you Feyre. Only alongside you."

"So help me fight this one too. Together?" She asked.

"Together." He answered, kissing her more deeply.

Their kiss was abruptly broken by Feyre as she hissed sharply in pain. Rhys immediately called for Mor, but Feyre tried to wave her off. "I'm fine. It's already receding. This is only the beginning." She said trying to sound optimistic, but failing on the last sentence.

Mor went back to helping Cassian stoke a gently burning flame while Feyre rested her head on the back of the cool wall. Rhys placed his hand back on her abdomen and brushed his thumb along it in wide arcs, an eyebrow lifted in question for her. Feyre sighed and nodded, closing her eyes as Rhys did his best to take her attention away from her contractions.

Some time in between one contraction and the next, Nesta arrived carrying a full pot of spring water.

"Fill all the canteens we have with that and then bring the rest over here so we can boil it." Mor told her.

"What's the boiled water for?" Nesta asked curiously.

"We're going to boil some cloth for Feyre, it can help with the pain and we're going to need something clean and sterile to wrap the baby in eventually…" Mor said staring around at them helplessly.

Immediately Rhys began to take his shirt off to tear into strips. When he handed them to Mor she clucked reluctantly. "We're going to need more."

"Here." Said Cassian, already shrugging out of his own jacket to hand over.

Mor nodded in satisfaction and placed the pot of water over the now steady flames.

"Now what?" Cassian asked.

"Nesta and I will have to go find some food for us I suppose." Mor said, glancing at Cassian's ruined leg which he had done his best to clean up and bandage with a section of his own pant leg.

"How long do you think we're going to be here for?" Cassian asked surprised.

"We can't move Feyre in her condition, so we stay until the baby's here."

"And how long does that normally take?" Cassian asked, almost wincing like he didn't want to hear the answer.

"If we're lucky, only a few hours." Mor reassured him.

"And if we're not lucky?"

"Feyre should be strong enough to endure at least two days of labour." She didn't need to add that anything longer than that probably wouldn't end happily.

"Let's go get some food then." Nesta interrupted, eager to do something to offset her nerves.

Mor made to follow her when she was intercepted by Rhys, his strong hand gripping her shoulder. She could hear the strain in his voice when he looked at her and said, "I need you here. In case anything changes."

Mor looked past him to Feyre's limp body, slumped against the wall. "Rhys she'll likely be in the early stages for at least a few more hours. I'd rather leave now than run out of food later and have to go out again when she's further along."

A silent conversation passed between the two cousins before Amren interrupted them.

"I've done my best with the enchantments, I can go with Nesta to find food." She offered.

"Thank you Amren. Get plenty of fruit and nuts for Feyre, she'll need to keep her strength up." Mor said to her, both her and Rhys clearly relieved.

Seeing in the near dark had caused Nesta and Amren to return with far less food than Mor had hoped for, but it would at least last them a full day. She set aside some of it for rationing, leaving Feyre her own larger pile. She did the same with the water, knowing Feyre would need it more than the rest of them.

Nesta had spent the past hour stretched out next to her sister, quietly talking with Feyre in an effort to distract her. Rhys had given Nesta a grateful smile as he excused himself to gather some food for himself and Feyre.

Cassian and Amren had begun setting up a separate area for the rest of them to sleep, a comfortable distance away from Feyre's low groans and Rhys's growing territorial glare as his defenseless mate struggled through her rising contractions.

Eventually, it grew late enough that Amren and Cassian tried getting some sleep. Nesta made her way over to Cassian's large form, tucking herself into his arms as if they could shield her from hearing her sister's occasional groans.

Mor placed warm, wet, rags across Feyre which she accepted gratefully. Then Mor hesitated, clearly uncomfortable.

Feyre opened one eye at her, "What is it?"

"I thought I should… check on you and see how you're looking." Mor said weakly.

"Isn't that what you've been doing for the past hour?" Feyre asked confused. Then she saw Mor's eyes flick down towards the bottom of her dress and understanding dawned. "Oh."

Rhys looked between them uneasily. "What are you doing?" He asked Mor.

"I need to uhh see how dilated Feyre is." Mor said quietly.

Rhys's face dropped as he realised, an uneasy glance shot towards his sleeping friends.

"It needs to be done, and honestly I don't see you volunteering for this." Mor grumbled, reaching for the hem of Feyre's dress.

"I know, just wait a second." Rhys said quickly.

Mor looked up to argue that he was being a big baby about this when she saw Rhys unfurl his huge wings, stretching them so they encircled himself, Feyre, and Mor within a circle of thin membrane. Effectively giving them as much privacy as he could.

Feyre smiled up at him thankfully as Mor lifted the dress over her knees. Rhys was glad he was only being permitted to sit up by Feyre's head and provide support that way. Many males he knew weren't even allowed to be in the room with their wives, let alone mates, when they gave birth. His father had fought and clawed to be just in the sitting room outside the bedroom where his own mother had given birth to him.

After a few seconds, Mor popped back up brightly. "Still in the early stages. You should be able to at least get some sleep in before tomorrow Feyre."

Mor had set up her own sleeping place with a rock with moss on it for a pillow, closer to Feyre than the others had dared, so she would be nearby if needed. Rhys had tried to ask Mor to stay up with him, just a little while longer, but one look at her exhausted face had him insisting that she turn in for the night.

Feyre had dozed on and off for a few hours, as the stress and physical activity of the day finally drained away her power to stay awake. Every now and then a particularly strong wave of pain crashed over her, forcing her awake even as exhaustion tried to drag her back under.

When this happened, Rhys would smooth back her hair and allow her to lean on his shoulder. He told her stories to help her relax. About his and Mor's childhood. Wild tales about the trouble he got into with Cassian and Azriel. And finally, their own memories together. Some of the happiest he could remember, anything to keep her breathing steady and drifting back to sleep.

Whether he would get any sleep himself that night didn't matter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry! I wanted to upload this quicker but my sister got a puppy with absolutely no warning, so of course I've been playing with it haha.**

Rhys' eyes had finally begun to droop shortly before dawn. His breathing slowed, and deepened as sleep at last began to overcome him, too exhausted to fight it off any longer.

Until a low curse from Feyre brought him snapping awake out of his dream.

His hands immediately held her tighter as his thoughts struggled to catch up with his surroundings.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to wake you." Feyre whispered, twisting slightly so she could nuzzle her nose into his neck. "Just as you finally fell asleep as well." She murmured, her warm breath tickling him.

Rhys did his best to fight a yawn before replying. "I'm not tired. Are you okay?"

"Liar." Feyre said playfully. "It was nothing. Just another sharp contraction, it just caught me by surprise."

"Can I get you anything?"

"Water?"

Rhys rolled over to reach for one of the water flasks they were running more and more low on. Feyre didn't hesitate in guzzling nearly half the bottle.

"Well, looks like that's as much sleep as I'm going to get." Mor grumbled from a distance away.

"It's okay Mor, you can go back to sleep." Feyre insisted.

Mor only waved off her offer, coming closer to check her forehead, her abdomen, and unabashedly asking to check Feyre's dilation status again.

When Mor was done, her face looked grim.

"That good huh?" Feyre asked, trying to conceal her worry. The last thing she needed was to set Rhys off when he was already so on edge.

"No it's nothing bad!" Mor rushed to reassure her. "…It's just I'd hoped you'd be further along by now."

Rhys felt his breath catch as he caught Mor's worried eye. A look passed between them, one that Feyre wasn't able to decode.

Suddenly, Mor clapped her hands together, waking up Cassian who bolted awake from the other side of the fire.

"Let's get you up and moving a bit, get some blood flowing." Mor said eagerly.

"Are you sure?" Feyre asked uneasily. She wasn't entirely sure she would be able to stand up straight without toppling over with how unbalanced she felt.

"Of course. Clara said it was good for you to move around during the early stages. Especially seeing as you won't be able to later on."

Feyre sighed but began shifting so she could use the wall to help herself stand up, but Rhys moved quicker and was already offering her a hand up, his other hand already braced behind her back. She smiled thankfully at him and slowly made her way to her feet.

Taking a few careful steps, Feyre made slow, pacing circles on her side of the cave so she wouldn't disturb the rest of her sleeping friends.

"How does that feel?" Mor asked curiously.

"I feel like a penguin." Feyre said while waddling.

"A very beautiful penguin though." Rhys said grinning at her, keeping close by in case he was needed.

Feyre only rolled her eyes and tried to hide an amused smile.

The shuffling sounds of Feyre's progress slowly began to wake up Nesta as well as Cassian, who had fallen asleep again quickly after being woken the first time.

"What's for breakfast?" He asked, his voice still husky from sleep.

"Whatever's left from yesterday's fruit." Nesta told him, already crawling towards their meager food pile.

Cassian made a face at the fruit. "That's not a breakfast. We need meat. So does Feyre."

"And where are you going to find some meat?" Nesta sneered.

"From the traps I set yesterday while the rest of you were doing nothing." Cassian shot back. "Not you of course Feyre, you're doing a wonderful job." Cassian added quickly when his high lady shot him a glare.

"You can't even walk." Nesta said in disbelief.

"I can, just not very far. That's the beauty of a snare. I don't have to chase down prey myself."

And with that he hobbled outside the cave, using a stick as cane.

"Don't go too far!" Mor called out behind him.

"How long until Azriel comes back with help, preferably in the form of a midwife?" Feyre asked, hands placed against the cave wall while she stretched her legs.

"I was just wondering the same thing…" Rhys said, a hand rubbing along his jaw in thought.

"He might have been held up? Or can't find us because of Amren's spells?" Mor asked gently.

Rhys shook his head. "No, Azriel always has his ways of finding us again, even when we don't want to be found."

"Maybe Tarquin refused to help?" Feyre asked quietly.

"I don't believe that for a second, and I know you don't either." Rhys said gently.

"Either way it doesn't matter, they're not coming in time so we have to do the best with what we have." Mor said shrugging.

Feyre took up her slow pacing again while Rhys watched her like a hawk, leaning against a wall with his hands in his pockets. Mor sat beside Nesta so they could begin preparing the last of their food. Amren still remained fast asleep, and no one was stupid enough to dare try and wake her.

When Feyre stopped suddenly, clutching her stomach, Rhys darted forward to place a hand on her back.

Feyre immediately turned on him, "Rhys stop your fussing I'm okay! I need some space, go and sit with Mor." She practically yelled.

Rhys withdrew quickly and obediently went and sat between a wide eyed Mor and Nesta. Feyre stalked to the other end of the cave and just rubbed her tummy while doing some deep breathing exercises.

"You okay?" Mor asked Rhys quietly.

Rhys only looked at her confused. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because my sister just snapped at you. You two are always so lovey dovey, I don't think I've ever seen her use that tone with you before." Nesta said in shock.

Mor just laughed. "I wish you could have seen them before Feyre became friendly with Rhys. The first time I ever saw her, she threw a shoe at the back of his head."

Nesta only shook her head trying to imagine it.

"I mean not that I blamed her." Rhys said with a smile. "I was a huge jerk to her in the beginning."

"That was when he still thought Feyre was better off with Tamlin." Mor explained to Nesta, making a face.

Just as Nesta was about to suggest she go look for Cassian, uncomfortable with the sudden topic changes, he reappeared in the cave entrance, brandishing three dead rabbits triumphantly.

"Thank god, I'm starving." Amren said, finally awake and staring greedily at the blood droplets clinging to the rabbit fur.

Cassian's face turned pale as he thrust them towards Amren. "You can have the honor of skinning them I suppose, seeing as you don't want yours cooked anyway."

He was just passing Feyre when she doubled over, a scream erupting from her. By instinct, Cassian dropped the rabbits and reached for Feyre, an arm holding her upright. Feyre was still shaking when a feral growl ripped through the room as Rhys hauled Cassian away from Feyre, practically throwing him into the wall.

Rhys' face was still bared in a growl as Cassian instantly began backing away, his arms raised in apology as Rhys turned to Feyre, trying to find the source of her pain.

"I'm okay. I'm okay." She managed between gasping pants.

When she finally looked up, she saw her friends all on their feet, a safe distance away from her. No, away from Rhys, who was practically rippling with aggression.

"Don't do this." Feyre pleaded with him. "Not now." She pulled away from him, a hand out to tell him to stay where he was.

He didn't look happy about it but he stayed in place. His head hanging low, almost in shame as his anger slowly faded.

Feyre nodded in satisfaction when she saw he had calmed down a bit. "Now, I'm going to lie back down and Mor is going to come help me. You are going to stay there until I can be sure you're not going to attack anyone else, okay?" She told him gently.

Rhys sighed deeply but nodded. Truth be told, his own intensity had frightened him. Cassian was already injured and he could have made things so much worse. He knew Feyre wasn't being cruel, she was just worried about the safety of their friends.

Mor came forward and helped Feyre lie down with an uneasy glance at Rhys, but it wasn't long before another contraction hit Feyre, her face crumpling and her hands reaching out to grip Mor's painfully.

"They're coming quicker now." Mor said.

Feyre couldn't respond, or even nod her head until nearly forty seconds had passed. Finally, she relaxed her grip on Mor and was able to slide to the ground.

"I think you should try and eat now Feyre, it's only going to get worse in the next few hours." Mor said holding out a handful of berries.

Feyre only shook her head. "I don't feel great, I don't think I can stomach it right now."

Mor looked worried but didn't push the issue.

"Can we do anything?" Nesta asked.

"Boil some more rags, and have a large one cleaned, cooled down, and brought to me." Mor gave out orders quickly. "Preferably not by Cassian." She added with a quick look at Rhys.

Rhys looked like he wanted to say something but resisted the urge, instead clenching his fists by his side.

It was less than three minutes later when Feyre again was gripped by a painful contraction. She threw her head back and let out an agonized groan. When she opened her eyes she immediately sought out Rhys'.

"Rhys." She managed to moan, all of her agitation over him gone instantly, but he was already moving towards her, scooping her into his arms so she could lean against his side instead of the hard cave wall.

"I'm here. I've got you." He whispered into her hair, smoothing it down where sleep and sweat had made it unruly.

Feyre sighed contentedly, his touch already relaxing her.

Nearly an hour later, Feyre had begun to rethink this whole pregnancy thing. Her contractions were lasting nearly sixty seconds, and were so painful that she could barely breathe, let alone talk through them anymore.

Rhys kept her as calm as he could, doing her breathing techniques with her to remind her to keep repeating them, and allowing her to hold one of hands within both of hers for squeezing purposes.

Mor kept up a running commentary on her progress. She had informed Feyre a few minutes ago that she was nearly fully dilated, but she shouldn't try pushing yet, even if she felt the urge.

Feyre barely listened, just wanting the whole thing to be over.

"How much longer?" She cried out after a particularly nasty contraction.

"Soon." Mor promised her. "You're doing so well Feyre. Just try and relax in between contractions."

Feyre huffed as tears ran freely down her face. Rhys gently placed a kiss on her cheek, lips tracing over where her tears had spilled.

Cassian, Amren, and Nesta mostly tried to stay out of the way, jumping up to bring anything that Mor called out for. They cooked Cassian's rabbits but none of them had much of an appetite anymore.

"Surely you've got a little bit more magic back in you now Amren." Cassian hissed at her as another one of Feyre's piercing cries echoed around the cave.

Amren shook her head. "Of course I've regained some, but not enough to be useful."

"I'm going to go and see if I can find Az." Cassian said getting up.

"Your leg." Nesta protested.

"I don't need legs if I have wings." Cassian grinned at her.

"Cassian sit back down now. No one's going anywhere." Mor said authoritatively. "I'm not going to deliver this baby while being distracted with thoughts about whether you've gotten yourself killed or not."

Cassian sat down with a thump. "Is it really coming?" He asked hopefully.

Mor nodded. Her face set determinedly, as one of Feyre's contractions began to fade, only to be immediately replaced by a second. When the second one began receding Feyre slumped in Rhys' arms, utterly exhausted.

"Not long now Feyre, hang in there." Mor said encouragingly. But Feyre could only groan in response.

Suddenly, Nesta was on her feet. "Is that blood?" She asked alarmed.

Mor looked down to see the bottom of Feyre's dress stained with an ever growing pool of what was unmistakably blood. Her eyes widened, but her voice was calm as she called out to her friends, "there's probably going to be more blood than this, no need to be alarmed." She then turned to Rhys and nodded.

Rhys turned, still holding Feyre gently, and snapped his wings open before curling them forward around the three of them.

A few minutes passed quietly. Cassian had placed his arms around Nesta as she turned into his chest, fear for her sister overwhelming her. Amren sat by the fire, absently poking at it.

Feyre managed to get a regular breathing pattern again while her contractions gave her a momentary break.

Mor sat back on her heels with a exasperated sigh. "Right. I'm going to get some more rags and stretch my legs while I can. When I come back, I'm going to need you to start pushing Feyre."

Feyre nodded in understanding as Rhys' wings opened a sliver to allow Mor to slip through.

"Rhys?" Feyre asked uncertainly.

"I'm here."

"I've been thinking…" She began, holding her left hand up. The one with an intricate tattoo entwined down it. Rhys' grip on her softened for a moment as he saw the tattoo. "Our bargain… Rhys if something happens to me now, you need to be here for our child."

"Nothing is going to happen to you, so there's no need to think like that." Rhys said resolutely.

But Feyre persevered, her voice cracking as she continued. "Rhys please. I already feel so weak, I need to know that you won't follow me if I can't make it through this. Take back the bargain."

Rhys was already shaking his head. "No way. I'm not giving you an easy way out. Not after all we've been through. This is just an extra incentive for you to hold on longer."

Feyre was about to argue back when Mor reappeared, her smile frozen on her face when she saw theirs, her eyes locking on Feyre's tattooed hand which she held out towards Rhys as if it were diseased. Mor's eyes narrowed as she glanced between the tattoo and the two of them, whether she had figured out what it meant Feyre couldn't tell.

"Alright, what do we need to do now?" Rhys started hopefully.

"Feyre needs to be as upright as possible. The contractions are going to slowly start coming back, and then we push." Mor said, kneeling by Feyre's feet.

"Simple." Feyre ground out.

The screaming began anew, but this time they were more out of anger and frustration as Feyre fought to push as quickly as she could before her strength totally gave out.

"It's not a race, take your time." Rhys gently told her an hour later.

Feyre only cried out in frustration.

"You're nearly there Feyre, you're beginning to crown." Mor spoke encouragingly.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up." Feyre moaned.

"For as long as it takes." Rhys said strongly. "Don't you dare give up now."

"Come on Feyre, give it one more push and then you can have a break." Mor added.

Feyre renewed her grip on Rhys' hand and bore down with all of her remaining energy, screaming at the intensity of it all.

"I can see the head!" Mor cried out excitedly. "One more big push Feyre."

"You said that last time." Feyre gasped.

"I know, I know, but this time I mean it. Come on, one, two, THREE!" Mor counted for her.

Feyre cried out as she felt the baby move down and she redoubled her efforts.

"You're doing so well, we'll get to see our child so soon Feyre. You'll be able to hold them." Rhys promised her.

"I need a break." Feyre ground out. "I can't." Her voice raw from screaming.

"I know you're in so much pain right now, but I promise you Feyre, one last push and I think you'll be done." Mor said gently.

Feyre shook her head and whimpered. Mor opened her mouth to speak again but Rhys shot her a look. He was watching Feyre's struggling body with great concern. Sweat dripped freely down her face and neck but her body shivered with every breath.

"One minute. Give her one minute to catch her breath, then we'll try again." Rhys told Mor.

Mor threw up her hands but backed away. The cave was suddenly silent with the lack of Feyre's cries. As the silence crept in, it suddenly felt wrong and Rhys had a bad feeling. He gently shook Feyre.

"Okay, time's up. We have to go again Feyre darling."

Feyre whimpered and tried to close her eyes again but Rhys kept shaking her to keep her eyes from closing.

"Feyre, it's now or never." Mor said anxiously.

Heaving herself upright more, Feyre gritted her teeth and finally had enough focus to try and push again. An earsplitting scream burst from her but it was short lived as Mor let out a triumphant whoop.

"I've got them." Mor cried out excitedly, bringing the largest piece of cloth they had forward.

Feyre's eyes fluttered as the unmistakable cry of an infant filled the room.

"I did it?" Feyre asked confusedly, looking up at Rhys.

"You did it. We have a child." Rhys whispered to her, his eyes shining as he took in the small, squirming bundle in Mor's arms.

"You have a son." Mor corrected him.

Rhys made a strange noise in the back of his throat as he hugged Feyre to him, his wings drawing back in so his friends could take in the scene.

Nesta was the first one to appear, keeping back a respectable distance, but with tears running down her face as she looked at the bundle from over Mor's shoulder.

Rhys looked down to Feyre to say something when he noticed how pale she was. Paler than before. There was a fair amount of blood staining her dress, but now it looked fresher, darker. And it wasn't stopping.

"Mor." Rhys said, deadly quiet. Something in his voice holding enough fear to cut over the cries of the baby and get her attention straight away.

Mor noticed where he was staring and immediately passed the baby to Nesta, dropping back down to Feyre.

After a few anguished moments Mor looked back up at Rhys hopelessly. "I can't stop the bleeding." She said horrified.

"Keep trying!" Rhys growled.

Feyre's eyes fluttered shut as she leaned her head back against Rhys wholly, her body going limp.

"Don't you dare." Rhys warned her, one hand reaching down to cup her face. "Stay with me." He pleaded.

Feyre drew in a shaky breath, opening her eyes long enough to find his. She then slowly drew her left hand up to his face, the dark ink of her tattoo in stark contrast to the skin of his smooth and even cheek.

Feyre leaned up, in order to whisper something to him.

"I release you from your bargain." She said weakly, as the ink began to disappear from her own hand and Rhys'.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry about the delay! I've been busy and as it is I wrote this while hungover so please excuse the writing haha. Thanks for the reviews, some of them genuinely made me laugh. wavingthroughawindow I actual love the name avocadogoddess though so it's fine haha. seaweedandwise sorry! Had to be done :) And to those saying they were crying, I did warn it was going to be more angsty than my last stuff (I also didn't think my writing was good enough to warrant tears so just went for it with the depressing stuff). xx**

Feyre's hand dropped limply from Rhys' face, landing hard across her chest.

To say that Rhysand lost all semblance of self control would be an understatement.

Before his friends even had a chance to come forward, Rhys unleashed an unearthly roar. The group had to rush to cover their ears as the force of it shook the very ground. Nesta held the infant to her chest and did her best to shield him from hearing or seeing the scene before them.

Darkness was rippling out from Rhys in giant, pouring waves. While it wouldn't hurt them if someone managed to put a foot in it, it was cold like having a bucket of water dumped over your head. And unfeeling.

"Rhys." Mor crooned, trying to get him to look up from where his head was buried in Feyre's neck. "We need to think about the baby now, get him to safe-"

"She's not dead." Rhys interrupted darkly, lifting his normally light purple eyes to hers. What Mor saw in his eyes now was closer to pure black. "She's still breathing. And her heart still beats."

Mor nodded slowly at him. "We need to find help."

"I think I have enough power now to winnow, it won't be very far but it will have to be enough." Said Rhys.

"Can you take two?" Nesta asked carefully, still holding the baby to her chest. "He's awfully small for a newborn isn't he?"

Rhys snapped his head to look at her, like he had almost forgotten the baby was there. The anguished look on his face told her enough.

"He's premature, he needs to be looked at by someone a lot more skilled than me." Mor said sadly.

"Feyre needs to be taken to a healer. Right now." Amren cut in.

"But it isn't safe to leave the baby out here either. Who knows where that monster is now." Cassian added.

"We can't make him choose between them!" Mor said in desperation.

Rhys didn't try to stop or hide the tears rolling down his face as he looked down at Feyre's pale body. His face crumpling as he looked at his dying mate.

A sharp cry from the baby had him snapping back up, eyes fixing on his son, unable to see any part of him because of how well Mor had wrapped him in the blanket, apart from one small pudgy hand, which had managed to escape its blanketed constraints.

A low moan sounded from Feyre as a shudder overtook her. Rhys pulled her closer, not leaving an inch of space between them, breathing in her scent. It was then that he knew he couldn't make this decision.

"I'll have to try taking them both." He said resolutely.

"Take them both where?"

Rhys turned his head so sharply he narrowly missed injuring himself. Because standing in the doorway of the cave was Azriel.

Azriel stood grim faced as he took in the scene. Tendrils of Rhys' darkness still swirled at ankle height on the cave floor. Most of his friends stood opposite his high lord and lady, a mess of blood separating them. And at the start of the blood trail was Feyre, crumpled up and for all the world looking as lifeless as a corpse.

Azriel's face contorted with horror. "Am I too late?" He whispered.

"She's not dead." Rhys said softly. "But she needs a healer."

Azriel exhaled loudly, his face had gone deathly pale. "Well it's a good thing I brought one then."

Azriel stepped aside and a small woman dressed in Dawn Court attire passed through, brushing past Azriel quickly. Without having to be told a word she analysed the scene and instantly set up a small bag of medical supplies next to Feyre.

"Dawn court?" Mor asked Azriel as he moved further in.

"…Not just Dawn." He responded, indicating warriors who had filtered in from outside, clearly in the Winter, Day, and Summer Court colours.

"We heard there was trouble and I immediately sent word out to the other courts." Tarquin said as he stepped into the cave, wearing full fighting gear.

"We're glad you're here." Mor said, coming forward to grasp Tarquin's hand, and then Kallias' who was right behind Tarquin.

"But what's happened here?" Kallias asked, looking to Rhys who still remained huddled over Feyre, his face was tinged with sorrow.

"We had to run, there was no other option. But then Feyre went into labour." Cassian said, also coming to greet the high lords.

"What?" Azriel hissed. "The baby?" He asked, his eyes fixed on Feyre's now slightly smaller stomach.

"He's here." Nesta said cautiously, eyeing all the different warriors who were watching the scene with interest.

A low snarl echoed across the room, the darkness ebbing across the floor retreating back to its source to pool dangerously behind Rhys as he glared at the healer.

"I need to perform some very complex magic or the high lady will die. If you don't back off I will walk away right now." The healer warned Rhys.

Cassian and Azriel exchanged a look before lunging for one of Rhys' arms each. But Rhys didn't put up a fight as he allowed his brothers to pull him away, arms locked behind his back.

"Perhaps we should have everyone else wait outside?" Tarquin suggested, indicating the various soldiers that surrounded them.

Wordlessly the cave was emptied of everyone who wasn't Night Court, High Lord, or healer.

Nesta let out a gasp as the air surrounding the healer began to glow red, a thin line stretching out from her to Feyre. "What are you doing?" She asked quietly.

"She's lost too much blood. If I don't replace it her body won't function" The healer replied, clearly annoyed that she wasn't being left alone to work.

"By using your own blood?" Mor asked, morbidly curious.

The healer barely nodded, "I am one of Thesan's best healers. This sort of magic cannot be attempted by a novice."

"Will she be okay?" Rhys managed to croak.

A heartbeat of silence. "I'll do what I can."

Minutes passed while the healer worked. Mor and Nesta did their best to inform Tarquin and Kallias about the attack and the evacuation of Velaris. Kallias in turn, told them that Helion was out there now, cleaning up the mess from when they had successfully cornered the monster and it had simply disappeared. Leaving a trailing wreck of destruction.

"No help from Beron then?" Mor scoffed.

"No, not Beron… But-" Tarquin began but was cut off by a sudden outburst from Rhys.

"Whatever you're doing, stop! The bond's going weak." He growled, struggling to free his arms from Cassian and Azriel.

Mor rushed over to her cousin, holding his face in her hands, her eyes shining. "Rhysand. You have to let the healer work. All the time we've wasted is why it's going weak. Feyre can't hold on for much longer."

Rhys tried to shake his head, to look beyond Mor to see his mate but Mor kept his gaze fixed on her.

At a loss for what to do she asked Nesta to bring the baby forward. "Do you want to hold him?" Mor asked Rhys quietly.

Rhys instantly stopped struggling as he peered into the bundle in Nesta's arms. The baby's eyes were closed, but Rhys could see a small patch of dark hair covering their head, and long lashes framing his eyes. His son's skin was paler than his, but with a tone that suggested a few years in the sun could bring it closer to his own colour.

But the baby's nose was entirely Feyre's. The way it curved slightly at the tip. How long and narrow it was. The sight alone was enough to make Rhys' knees crumple, Cassian and Azriel having to support him to keep him upright.

Nesta held the baby forward but Rhys shook his head vigorously. "Feyre should get to hold him first."

Mor looked on the verge of tears as she nodded at Nesta to take the baby away.

"Is there anything for us to do?" Kallias asked the healer awkwardly, as he and Tarquin looked like they wanted to comfort Rhys, but weren't sure how he would respond.

Leaning back on her heels, the healer wiped away a small bead of sweat. "I've done everything I can. The damage is repaired, the bleeding's stopped. Now we wait to see if she has the strength to wake up."

"She will." Rhys said, defiance in his eyes as if he were begging fate itself to tell him otherwise.

"Shall I look over the child?" The healer asked, ignoring Rhys' comment altogether.

Nesta and the healer sat down together so she could do proper checks while Nesta held him, crooning to him when he started to squirm. It wasn't long before the baby grew impatient and began to cry. Loudly.

Nesta tried her best to get him to stop but one thing was clear. He wanted his mother.

Suddenly, Rhys ripped free from Cassian and Azriel, who had been watching the baby with concern. He threw himself down beside Feyre, tenderly reaching for one of her hands.

"Did you see that?" Rhys asked to no one in particular.

Mor came forward, a hopeful look on her face. "What did you see?"

"Her hand twitched." Rhys said, rubbing a thumb across the back of Feyre's hand. "Feyre?" He whispered to her. "I can feel her through the bond." Rhys said turning to Mor, as if he were trying to convince her he wasn't crazy.

The baby cried again loudly in the background and ever so slightly, Mor saw Feyre's other hand twitch.

"There!" She cried out.

Suddenly, Cassian, Azriel, Amren, Kallias, and Tarquin were all gathered around them.

Very slowly, Feyre's lips parted. Rhys placed a few drops of water on them for her, allowing her to croak out quietly, "Ellias?"

"Not what I was expecting." Cassian joked, but his eyes were suspiciously shiny as Rhys choked out a laugh of relief.

"It's what we agreed to name the baby if we had a boy."

Feyre's eyes fluttered open blearily, taking in all the people surrounding her, but her eyes landed on Rhys and rested there. She tried to smile but it looked more like a grimace.

Rhys leaned forward to brush lightly against her lips, ever gentle and careful not to hurt her.

"I didn't die again did I?" Feyre asked lightly when she noticed Tarquin and Kallias.

Rhys was caught by surprise as he let out laugh. "You gave it your best shot, but not this time."

But Feyre wasn't really listening. She was already looking around worriedly.

Rhys without having to read her mind immediately called out for Nesta. But it was the healer who brought over their son, wrapped up once more in his bundle of rags.

"I've already done a few checks on him, but right now the best thing for him is his mother." She said smiling for the first time since she had entered the cave.

Feyre held out her arms, but she was still too weak to hold any weight, so the healer instead placed the baby on her chest and pulled Rhys' hands up to hold the baby in place.

A single tear ran down Feyre's face as she gazed at her newborn son. Sensing a new person holding them, the baby squirmed, opening his eyes to inspect her. Feyre's breath hitched as she stared into her son's eyes, the same grey as her own.

Rhys slid his other arm around Feyre, holding them together as they could only stare speechlessly at their son.

"He's beautiful." Mor said, coming closer to gaze at him.

"He is." Feyre whispered in agreement.

"So… Ellias huh?" Cassian asked.

"We picked it out only last week." Rhys said almost challengingly.

"It's a fine name." Azriel quickly added.

"So the Night Court finally has a new heir." Kallias said grinning, before congratulating Rhys on the shoulder and smiling warmly at Feyre, unwilling to go anywhere near another male's mate at a time like this.

"How long have you been around for Rhys? About time for a change of leadership." Tarquin said jokingly.

Feyre smiled warmly at them, offering her thanks for their help. "We didn't know if you would make it in time."

"We nearly didn't." Tarquin said sheepishly.

"Your shadowsinger here was a great help." Kallias said, indicating Azriel.

Rhys looked up at Az, a serious look on his face as he thanked him which Azriel tried to brush off.

"Helion helped too." Tarquin quickly told them before looking uneasy.

"What is it?" Rhys asked.

Tarquin was just about to continue when a soldier entered the cave. Rhys stiffened as he saw the Spring Court colours etched onto his shirt.

"We've finished rounding up all the Velaris citizens and are bringing them to safety now." The soldier said to Kallias who seemed to have taken responsibility for him.

"Get. Out." Rhys growled, wings snapping open, before Kallias had even had a chance to respond.

The soldier's face blanched but he hurriedly retreated from the room.

"Why is Tamlin here?" Rhys growled.

"Tamlin himself is not." Tarquin said, hands up. "He… seemed worried about Feyre having to flee in her condition and offered up some of his own men to help."

"I want them out of my court. Now." Rhys ground out.

"Before you do anything brash Rhysand, they've been valuable in our efforts to regroup the refugees." Kallias said quickly, but Rhys only let out a feral growl.

"This would not be the first time Tamlin has resorted to killing a child from my family." He snarled.

Feyre gripped his arm in warning. "I agree that they should go. The risk is just too great and I won't gamble our son's life. But I would like to personally thank them, and have them give my thanks to Tamlin before they leave."

Rhys seemed to deflate a little at this. Glad to be rid of them soon, but not glad to hear that Feyre would have to interact with them.

"I'll have them gone before tonight. You have my word." Tarquin promised.

Rhys nodded in agreement. "Everyone else is welcome to stay, there will be enough space in Velaris to house them. The rest of us can stay in the House of Wind."

Kallias and Tarquin gave their thanks, before Amren interrupted them coolly, unamused that Tarquin had not brought Varian this time.

"Now that that's done, can we get out of this cave now?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi all! Sorry to say, but this is the final chapter for The Bargain! Thank you all so much for supporting it and reading it though! Look out for more fics from me in the future :). acotarfan14 thank you, you're so sweet. seaweedandwise and kittykat1845 Of course I couldn't let Feyre die, I feel like that's an instant 10 years bad luck kind of thing to do haha. xx.**

The next morning, the inhabitants of the House of Wind were awoken to the crying sounds of a baby. No one had the heart to grumble as they made their way to breakfast however, all understanding how lucky it was that the baby had arrived safe and healthy, despite their smaller than usual size. And how lucky it was that Feyre also survived her close call.

When Mor made her way into the grand sitting room, wrapped in a red silken dressing gown, she found Rhysand and Feyre already occupying it. She smiled warmly, watching from the doorway as Feyre held Ellias to her breast while Rhys watched on from above her.

Feyre was still very weak, although healing quickly thanks to her drop of Dawn power, so she had set herself up on a chaise lounge where she could lie down and still be part of the rebuilding meetings and reports on Velaris.

Rhys hadn't been able to separate himself from his mate or son so soon, so had left most of the helping refugees and clean up to his more than willing family. Mor had told him that by just telling the citizens that they'd had the baby would be helping by lifting spirits.

And she was right. Despite the destruction wreaked upon their beautiful city again, bottles of wine were opened and tables were set up on the street, laden with whatever food people could spare as a massive street party began to take shape after a messenger had announced the birth of the high lord and lady's son.

Gifts of toys, blankets, food, and flowers were sent to the townhouse, able to be brought up to Feyre by Azriel who was the first to notice their people's generosity. Feyre cried uncontrollably when she saw all the gifts.

Rhys had finally spotted Mor hovering nearby and he beckoned her over. "He's nearly done feeding."

"I wouldn't want to intrude." Mor said with a small smile, gazing into Ellias' small, delicate face.

"Of course not." Feyre said immediately, her gaze softening. "He wouldn't even be here without you."

Mor only reached down to stroke the small, dark, patch of fuzzy hair already beginning to grow on his head. "I don't think I've ever seen anything so small in my life." She crooned as Ellias reached one tiny hand towards her.

"Already trying to win him over, Mor?" Cassian said with a smirk, the slight limp in his walk only just noticeable.

Mor snorted. "Everyone already knows I'm going to be the favourite Aunt."

"Well then, I get to be the favourite Uncle." Cassian beamed at Ellias.

"You wish." Nesta said, following Cassian into the room. "I'd put money on it being Azriel."

Feyre only laughed as she offered Ellias up to Rhys who took him gently, cradling him awkwardly in his giant arms. He raised nervous and unsure eyes to Feyre's who only smiled back at him sweetly.

"You'll get used to holding him." She promised him.

"I just don't understand how easy you made it look from the start." Rhys said shaking his head.

"She's been holding him for nine months, Rhys." Amren said, sauntering into the room.

"Technically, only eight and a bit." Feyre said lightly.

"You had to be like your mother didn't you? Always early." Rhys said, holding his son up to study his face more.

Ellias seemed to like this, giving Rhys a funny look and squawking.

"Did you see that?" Rhys asked Feyre excitedly.

"Just whatever you do, don't drop him." Nesta told him, looking like she wanted to snatch Ellias up.

"I didn't realise there was a party going on in here." Helion said, emerging from a separate room with Tarquin.

"Just a baby monitoring squad." Cassian grinned, a small hint of pride as he watched Rhys tuck Ellias back into his chest.

"Where's Kallias?" Feyre asked, noting the absent high lord.

Tarquin gave her an easy smile. "He had business to attend to back in the Winter Court, but he left some guards still to help clean up."

Feyre was about to ask further when a short squeal had her bolting upright. Elain breezed into the room, a flushed Lucien following close behind, arms laden with bags.

"Feyre! We heard all about it!" Elain said excitedly. "We're so sorry we weren't there to help, right Lucien?"

Lucien nodded and flashed Feyre an apologetic look. "We came as soon as we could."

"Where is he?" Elain asked, before narrowing her gaze at Rhys still holding his son awkwardly. She took a step closer. "May I?"

Rhys nodded warmly before handing over his son to his aunt. Elain easily took Ellias, cradling him to her shoulder while gently swaying.

"Oh, he's simply gorgeous." Elain said, showing him to Lucien who couldn't help but grin up at Rhys and Feyre excitedly.

"I'm so glad to see you Elain, but I thought you weren't coming home for another few weeks?" Feyre asked gently.

Elain waved her off. "Don't be silly. We've come to offer our babysitting services."

"Get in line." Cassian grumbled.

"I see we've got some competition." Lucien said, noting the intense stares the inner circle was now giving him.

"I haven't held him yet." Amren said impatiently.

Elain wasted no time in handing him to Amren, who had always slightly intimidated her, made no less scary by how well she and Nesta got along.

"Well, perhaps we should also be off before we see an all out brawl between you lot." Helion laughed, grabbing Tarquin by the arm. "We'll come back another day to have our fair share of baby time."

Rhys escorted them out, thanking them again for all their help.

"Okay, time's up ancient one. Let someone fun hold him." Cassian said, grabbing Ellias from Amren. He held him up similarly to how Rhys had, studying him.

"Yep." He nodded to himself. "He's gonna be a big strong male one day like his father. I already know what I'm going to get you for your first birthday-"

"Please. No weapons until he can at least hold them properly." Feyre said groaning.

"Illyrians learn from a very young age how to wield them, I can train him as soon as he's ready." Cassian said determinedly, showing Feyre the small bumps protruding from the baby's back that would grow into his wings.

Feyre just shook her head as Rhys rejoined her, sitting down on the lounge by her legs where there was room for him.

"He'll need all the training he can get…" Rhys said to her quietly.

It was something they had already discussed. The son of the most powerful high lord in history, and Feyre Cursebreaker, would indeed be highly sought after. Dead or alive.

"We will all look out for him." Mor said, accurately reading their faces.

"Will you send him away to train with the Illyrians when he's older?" Nesta asked.

Rhys and Feyre exchanged another look.

"When he's old enough… yes. Rhys wants him to know his own people and to train with them." Feyre explained.

"And you, Feyre?" Cassian asked quietly.

"I'll be with him too. I'll live in the cabin that Rhys' mother lived in."

"And I'll be there as often as I can. As many nights as possible." Rhys promised her.

"Does this mean we'll have to come and visit you up in the mountains if we want to see him?" Elain pouted.

"Yes, but we'll often be bringing him back to Velaris too. He should know the fae who live here just as much as the Illyrians." Feyre told her.

"Until then, you're all ours." Cassian grinned wickedly at the baby.

He gently began swaying side to side as he had seen Elain doing while the others talked. Cassian quickly began to build up speed though, thinking the baby was getting bored of such a slow pace.

"…Cassian." Feyre tried to warn him, but it was too late. Baby vomit was splattered all down the front of Cassian's shirt.

It was Nesta who laughed first, Cassian's face burning red. Then Rhys was snickering as Cassian held Ellias out at arms length away from him.

"This is just how he's marking me as his favourite." Cassian said shrugging.

Everyone else began laughing as Cassian tried to salvage the situation.

It was then that Azriel appeared, back from being in Velaris, scoping out the damage. His face lit up with amusement as he noticed the vomit dripping off Cassian.

"What did you do this time?" Azriel chuckled.

"If you think this is so easy, here." Cassian said, thrusting Ellias out to Azriel.

Everyone waited with held breaths as Azriel slowly took the baby in his scarred hands. His shadows dancing in delight over his shoulder. As if just realising how they might terrify a newborn, Azriel quickly tried to call back the shadows, but to his surprise the baby was watching them wide eyed. Slowly he reached out a hand, trying to grasp them.

Cautiously, Azriel unspooled some more shadows, letting them grow closer to the baby but never letting them touch him. Ellias let out what could only have been a giggle, reaching up with both hands now to grab at the black tendrils.

Azriel looked up at them all with what Feyre could have only described as joy. Joy over this baby who hadn't been scared of him, hadn't shrunken away from his scarred hands, his darkness.

"Oh he's a child of the Night Court alright." Amren said smiling.

No one wanted to take Azriel's moment from him, so for the next hour, Ellias was Azriel's alone. He had even fallen asleep against his chest when he had grown tired of chasing shadows.

"I'm going to buy him so many outfits." Mor promised, looking over to the baby curled up in Azriel's arms.

Feyre laughed as Mor began explaining all the cute outfits she'd seen in a store recently, including costumes.

"I've already lost him to Az." Cassian scowled from nearby. "How long until you have another one?" He asked with a crooked grin.

Feyre smiled but Rhys' face paled.

"Oh no, we're not doing that again." He said, a brief look of panic flashed at Feyre.

"We'll be better prepared next time." Feyre added quickly.

"Next time?" Rhys croaked.

"Of course." Feyre winked at him. "I thought you told me you wanted a legion of children."

"That was before I realised how dangerous it was." Rhys muttered,

"Besides," Feyre began, an evil smile growing as she continued. "If we didn't want any more children, we'd have to give up your favourite activity."

Rhys seemed to briefly contemplate this. "Well, I suppose one or two more wouldn't be so bad."

Cassian roared with laughter as he dragged Rhys away for a celebratory drink, despite Nesta's complaints that it wasn't even noon yet.

Mor joined Feyre on her couch, her arms resting on Feyre's drawn up knees as she quietly spoke to her.

"I know about the bargain."

Feyre tried to make her face blank, hoping to avoid this conversation.

"Why would you even think to make a pact like that?" Mor continued, hurt shining in her eyes.

"We've both seen each other die Mor. It's not something I could live through again. But that was before we had a child, I get it now." Feyre promised. "Rhys and I discussed it last night and we both agreed to not make another bargain like that until our children are grown and don't need us around anymore."

Mor began to protest but Feyre shut her down as Elain came to sit with them and check up on Feyre. It was a battle Mor would continue with Feyre later, that much she could tell, but for now Feyre was content to watch her family pass around her son.

When Rhys finally regained hold of Ellias he managed to easily slide him into his arms comfortably, while talking with Cassian.

"He was worried he wasn't going to make a good father." Feyre said quietly to Mor.

Mor snorted. "Only Rhysand, one of the best males I know, would worry his own child wouldn't like him."

"He used to stay up late, waiting until he thought I was asleep, to whisper to him inside my stomach. Telling him stories. And how he was going to teach him to fly when he was big." Feyre said, a gentle smile curving her lips.

From across the room, Rhys looked down at his son in surprise as Ellias sleepily grabbed one of Rhys' fingers to hold tight as he slept. Rhys' jaw dropped as he noticed how easily he had settled him, how comfortable Ellias seemed as he slept.

Rhys turned away quickly, pretending to show Ellias Velaris from the window. But Feyre had seen the tears form in Rhys' eyes before he had tried to hide them from his friends.

Moving stiffly, Feyre got up from the couch to join her mate and son by the window. She slid her arms around Rhys' waist, her chin resting on Rhys' shoulder so she could see Ellias.

"I love him too." Feyre whispered in Rhys' ear.

A shudder rippled through his back as Rhys fought back sobs.

Together they began pointing out all the different parts of Velaris to their son. Feyre showed him the Rainbow and Rhys pointed out the townhouse that they would all move into together.

They showed him all the places that he would one day rule over just as they did.


End file.
